Drosera filiformis Ø9cm

Drosera filiformis is a carnivorous sundew with long, thin leaves held upright and covered with hundreds of red tentacles, each bearing a sticky droplet that sparkles like dew and catches small insects. Under strong sun the threads turn a bright red, and in summer it raises delicate pink-lilac flowers. A living, moving plant, easy to grow with sun, rainwater and a poor, acid substrate. Care instructions The good news is that, once its little bog is recreated, Drosera filiformis almost cares for itself. The secret lies in three simple things you keep consistent: plenty of sun, water without salts and a poor, acid substrate. Once you understand that, the rest follows by itself, and the plant rewards your attention with ever longer threads more laden with dew. Here is everything you need to know, gathered in one place: Light: direct sun, as much as possible. A south- or west-facing window, where it receives several good hours of sun a day, is ideal. The stronger the light, the redder the threads and the more dew they produce; in shade, the plant stretches pale and loses its shine. Water: only rainwater, distilled water or demineralised water. Tap water, rich in lime and salts, burns its fine roots. Most simply, keep the pot in a deep saucer with 1-2 cm of water (the tray method), so the substrate stays always moist from the base. Substrate: a poor, acid mix without fertiliser - classically, acid peat blended with silica sand or perlite. Never use ordinary potting soil, which contains salts and fertilisers that would be fatal to it. Temperature: it is happy at room temperature in the growing season, around 20-28 °C. In winter it prefers a cool spell, below 10 °C, when it enters its rest. Feeding: never fertilise it through the substrate. If it stands outside in summer, it catches its own insects; indoors, you can occasionally offer it a gnat on a leaf. It needs no more. Winter rest: toward late autumn, the plant draws its threads into a bud called a hibernaculum and rests for a few months. This is a natural rhythm, not a sign of illness - keep it cooler and less watered during this time, and in spring it will start again full of vigour. Propagation: very simple from leaf cuttings laid on moist substrate, by dividing the hibernacula in spring, or from seed - accessible ways to grow your little bog. If small problems appear, do not be discouraged - they are signals easy to read, not obstacles. Threads that no longer produce dew almost always tell you the plant is getting too little light; move it closer to the sun and the droplets come back. Tips that dry and blacken betray salted water or substrate that is too dry, so switch to rainwater and check the level in the saucer. And if toward autumn the plant seems to fade, it is most likely just entering its natural rest. All these adjustments are minor, and the plant responds to them quickly. With these few pointers, Drosera filiformis becomes a natural gateway into the world of collector carnivorous plants - once you have mastered this one, your eye will inevitably wander to other living traps, such as the sticky rosette of a Drosera aliciae, and so a passion begins. Specifications Pot diameter: 9 cm Total height (incl. pot): 20 cm